Art of casting steel ingots



(No Model.\ 2 Sheets--'Sheet 1. E. L. CLARK.

ART OF CASTING STEEL INGOTS.

Paten ted June 4, 1889 wrr n asses: mvsuron,

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

E. L. CLARK. ART OF GASTING STEEL INGOTS.

No. 404,382.- Patented June 4, 1889.

' wrrm-zsses: mven'ron;

Q M 62am ma I 4 MMZMM N. PETER$ PMOL'rlMgriyhar. Whhinglm UQC' NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDW'ARD L. CLARK, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

ART OF CASTING STEEL INGOTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 404,382, dated June 4, 1889. Application filed November 5, 1888; Serial No. 290,028. (No model) To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD L. CLARK, of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in the Art of Casting Steel Ingots; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to an improvement in the art of casting steel ingots by the process of bottom casting.

The object of the invention is to prevent that loss of metal in the form of scrap which has been incident to the analogous processes of casting heretofore in common use, and to enable a number of ingots to be cast at once in such manner that the connected webs or runners which unite the ingots may be utilized as parts of the ingots in the rolling process.

In the practice of my invention I employ a mold subdivided into compartments by upright partition-walls arranged at near intervals and having a trough at the base of the mold, which trough is formed by the bottom of the mold itself, so that the runners which connect the several ingots shall form parts of the ingots; which can be rolled or otherwise worked with them. In the bottom casting of ingots in laterally-separate moldcompartments connected by communicating runnerpassages it has been the practice to break off the metal which chills in the runners and to rcmelt it as scrap. The waste of metal thus occasioned is very considerable, and its expense has detracted largely from the benefits which are derived from the system of casting a number of connected small ingots by bottom casting.

I shall now describe my invention by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal verticalsection of a mold adapted to the practice of my improved method. Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is an irregular cross-section on the line 00 5c of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a number of connected ingots which have been cast in accordance with my improved process.

Like symbols of reference indicate like parts Wherever they occur.

Referring to the drawings, a a represent the side and end walls of the mold, secured together by projecting lugs I), through which pass bolts Z), fastened by keys b or in any other suitable manner. The sides of the mold are also held together and braced by lugs h, bolts 722, and keys 77. The walls or sides of the mold are formed of suitable castings and rest on a bottom piece, plate, or casting a, which is recessed, as at c, for the reception of the side and end pieces. Cross partitionwalls (Z are arranged vertically between the side pieces a and removablyfittedinvertical grooves therein. They extend from the bottom to the top of these grooves, but their bases are elevated above the upper base of the bottom pieces 0, and they thus form separate mold-compartments communicating with each other by a trough at the base of the mold, which trough is continuous and common to each of the mold-compartments, and is in cross-section of about the same dimensions as the compartments themselves.

In casting the ingots the metal is poured from the ladle into one of the compartments of the large mold, and it thence flows into each of the smaller compartments along the runner-trough at the bottom under the severals partitions (Z, rising into the small compartments in a manner similar to that observed in ordinary processes of bottom casting. When the compartments have been properly filled and the metal is solidified therein, the several ingots formed in the small compartments of the mold are removed by unkeying and detaching the end and side pieces of the mold and separating the ingots from the connected series, the thin web of m tal at the base of each partition being readily broken off, so as to leave the ingots separate from each other.

Fig. 4 shows the condition and sh ape of the united small ingots before they have thus been separated from each other, 2 representing the ingots themselves, which, as will be noticed, are separated from each other by spaces equal in width to the partitions of the mold, 3 representing the runner at the base,

which forms integral parts of the several small ingots, and 4: representing the projecting webs of metal connecting the runners at the bases, which webs are broken in two on the dotted lines shown in the drawings, either by the natural shrinking of the metal itself in cooling or by mechanical means. In this method of eastingmo metal need be wasted, because as the runner forms an integral part of each small ingot when the ingots are subsequently treated by rolling the runner and the small projecting webs thereof will be rolled into and will form an integral and homogenous part of the finished metal product. This rolling of the ingots maybe practiced by an y of the known forms of rolls.

I prefer to make the ru ntor-trough concave and eurvedin cross-section, so that the ingots shall have round ends; but it may be shaped otherwise, if desired.

The partition-walls (I should be made quite thin, in order that the degree of separation between the ingots and the size of the eon 'llGGtlllg-TUHTIOI may be small. If desired, they may be made of thin. metal, and in such case they may be coated before each casting with a wash or coating of some reliraetory material to prevent adhesion of the cast metal thereto. I prefer, however, to make these partition-walls of some ret'raetm'y material.

In a separate application, Serial No. 290,027, filed November 5, 1888, I claim the mold which is hereinbefore described.

I elaimas my invention- In the manufacture of steel, the improvement consisting in casting by bottom castin a series of two or more steel ingots sermrated laterally from each other and united laterally at their ends by thin webs or runners, which form integral and reducible parts of the several ingots, separating the ingots so formed by fracture of the webs between the adjacent ingots, and finally rolling each ingot and its integral fractured web or runner portion, thereby incorporating the runner portion withv the ingot, substantially as and for the purposes described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set myhand thisSd day of November, A. b.1888.

EDW'ART) I). CLARK;

\Vitnesses: 

